For the first time in six weeks I've been "involuntarily" delayed by some kind of stomach bug which struck last night after my arrival in Santa Rosa and which is keeping me close to bed today. I've been able to get up at times to visit the restaurant of my hotel for drinks and fruit, and I'm confident I'll be ready to move on to Copan Ruinas tomorrow--a 3-4 hour trip from here.
Santa Rosa is another picturesque colonial town, population 29,000 (which makes it my biggest town since San Miguel, El Salvador), and is built on hills somewhat reminiscent of San Francisco. Since I've done nothing here but my usual late afternoon (yesterday) promenade near the parque central, I don't have much to report.
Being basically bed-ridden today gave me the opportunity to catch the Uruguay--Holland semifinal which I was glad to do since I missed just about all of the quarterfinals last week (is World Cup month truly over so soon?!).
I've been rooting for teams from the American hemisphere, so it was a blow to see Holland advance with a 3-2 victory over the South Americans. The Dutch busted out of a 1-1 tie with a header goal in the 73rd minute that seemed to have gobsmacked the Uruguayan goalkeeper so badly he remained frozen in place as the ball whizzed by his head. Not long after that the Dutch scored another to make it 3-1 and the Uruguayans couldn't do much more than an extra time consolation goal to bring it to 3-2.
Holland next will face the winner of tomorrow's Germany-Spain match for an all-European World Cup final.
Showing posts with label San Miguel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Miguel. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Day 35 in Perquin: Cool Remote Place Charms The Soul
Perquin strikes one immediately as very quiet (there's hardly any traffic noise apart from the bi-hourly bus); very beautiful! (we are high in the mountains here, and even as it threatens to rain, the calm, cool forest green surrounding the area is pleasing to the soul); and very remote (the 40 mile bus trip from San Miguel takes more than two and a half hours).
Here we are in FNLN country: communists! Perquin was their HQ during the civil war, and the rebel guerrillas controlled considerable ground in this region, with many sympathizers living in the area. As we drive up we see evidence of this on the walls of people's houses and businesses: the red of the FNLN serves as a backdrop to iconic portraits of Che Guevara and other leftist heroes.
I'm staying at Perkin Lenca, a fine hotel/restaurant built and owned by American aid worker Ronald Brenneman who made his name in the 1980s building housing for refugees made homeless by the conflict. I was skeptical when I heard that this place has hot water, but I can confirm it is true: today I had my first truly hot shower since I left the States. . .
Perquin village at first glance is extremely charming. In a sense, this is the most remote area I've visited on this trip--maybe the most remote place I've visited since I was in northern Laos in the 1990s.
By remote I mean it takes some time and effort to get here. We are in a mountainous border region of El Salvador which supposedly doesn't even have an immigration checkpoint with Honduras, just a few miles up the road.
By remote I also mean there are no chain supermarkets, fast food joints, or even banks here ( I visited the ATM in San Miguel today to make sure I'd have enough cash for the next few days). Yet there are a couple cyber shops, a handful of cellphone shops, and a couple dozen restaurants.
There is the usual church, albeit a very small one, and the parque central/municipal square. There also is the Museo de la Revolucion Salvadoreña.
But mostly there is a lot of peace and quiet along this so-called Ruta de Paz which runs from here to the Honduran border. Perhaps this route is a testament to the possibility of reconciliation between once deadly enemies who--even today--collaborate hopefully in government for the good of all Salvadoreans.
Here we are in FNLN country: communists! Perquin was their HQ during the civil war, and the rebel guerrillas controlled considerable ground in this region, with many sympathizers living in the area. As we drive up we see evidence of this on the walls of people's houses and businesses: the red of the FNLN serves as a backdrop to iconic portraits of Che Guevara and other leftist heroes.
I'm staying at Perkin Lenca, a fine hotel/restaurant built and owned by American aid worker Ronald Brenneman who made his name in the 1980s building housing for refugees made homeless by the conflict. I was skeptical when I heard that this place has hot water, but I can confirm it is true: today I had my first truly hot shower since I left the States. . .
Perquin village at first glance is extremely charming. In a sense, this is the most remote area I've visited on this trip--maybe the most remote place I've visited since I was in northern Laos in the 1990s.
By remote I mean it takes some time and effort to get here. We are in a mountainous border region of El Salvador which supposedly doesn't even have an immigration checkpoint with Honduras, just a few miles up the road.
By remote I also mean there are no chain supermarkets, fast food joints, or even banks here ( I visited the ATM in San Miguel today to make sure I'd have enough cash for the next few days). Yet there are a couple cyber shops, a handful of cellphone shops, and a couple dozen restaurants.
There is the usual church, albeit a very small one, and the parque central/municipal square. There also is the Museo de la Revolucion Salvadoreña.
But mostly there is a lot of peace and quiet along this so-called Ruta de Paz which runs from here to the Honduran border. Perhaps this route is a testament to the possibility of reconciliation between once deadly enemies who--even today--collaborate hopefully in government for the good of all Salvadoreans.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Crossroads in San Miguel
A touch of "Delhi belly" early yesterday kept me here for another day & today the imminent prospect of a temporary cash shortage is keeping me from moving on immediately. So I took advantage of the hotel laundry service & will have clean clothes tonight!
I'm still on the fence about visiting remote, mountainous Perquin, but the Lonely Planet advises there are no ATMs in this town of 5000 for when I expect a funds transfer to be completed on Thursday. Lonely Planet also claims that Perquin is a highlight "for most visitors" to El Salvador, whatever that means. It sounds cool to me, though.
Thus I'm at a crossroads of decision (or "indecision" might be a better way to put it). Perquin sounds exactly like something that's right up my alley, but of course the longer I don't move, the further I remain from my ostensible destination goal in Venezuala.
Today I took a bus to a point about 5 miles west of town where there was a great view of this region's main geographical landmark, the 2130 meter Volcan de San Miguel which looms like a towering, fire-eating god over this city. Today its massive cone was shrouded in an envelope of ominous looking clouds that seemed ready to burst with rain. This short trip to the outskirts of town was rewarded with a noticable cooling of temperature--a welcome relief from the brutal hot in the centro.
The volcano is less than 20 miles from here, but my guidebook explains that a trip there is a bit of an undertaking: you have to rent a car or take a bus & then a taxi to get to the base; if you want to climb to the top, it's a 9 hour trek & you have to hire police escorts ("reserve two weeks in advance"). Lonely Planet also reminds us that you have to provide lunch for your escorts. Now that's "mordida"!
I'm still on the fence about visiting remote, mountainous Perquin, but the Lonely Planet advises there are no ATMs in this town of 5000 for when I expect a funds transfer to be completed on Thursday. Lonely Planet also claims that Perquin is a highlight "for most visitors" to El Salvador, whatever that means. It sounds cool to me, though.
Thus I'm at a crossroads of decision (or "indecision" might be a better way to put it). Perquin sounds exactly like something that's right up my alley, but of course the longer I don't move, the further I remain from my ostensible destination goal in Venezuala.
Today I took a bus to a point about 5 miles west of town where there was a great view of this region's main geographical landmark, the 2130 meter Volcan de San Miguel which looms like a towering, fire-eating god over this city. Today its massive cone was shrouded in an envelope of ominous looking clouds that seemed ready to burst with rain. This short trip to the outskirts of town was rewarded with a noticable cooling of temperature--a welcome relief from the brutal hot in the centro.
The volcano is less than 20 miles from here, but my guidebook explains that a trip there is a bit of an undertaking: you have to rent a car or take a bus & then a taxi to get to the base; if you want to climb to the top, it's a 9 hour trek & you have to hire police escorts ("reserve two weeks in advance"). Lonely Planet also reminds us that you have to provide lunch for your escorts. Now that's "mordida"!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Still Looking for the Bus in San Miguel (Day 14)
I'm posting this from San Miguel in eastern El Salvador, gateway to Honduras & points further southeast. This town isn't as bad as Lonely Planet makes it out to be. Sure, it's blisteringly hot & humid, but so are a lot of other places.
From my perspective San Miguel has a lot going for it. For one, I'm staying in an excellent hotel just across the street from the bus station and the central district with the usual central plaza, cathedral & market is just a short walk away. True, the hotel is a bit above my budget, but at least they accept credit cards. Even better there's a Pollo Campero right across the street. Pollo Campero is Central America's answer to KFC and though this is my third trip in as many years to Central America, I still haven't tried Pollo Campero but I think I might do so tonight.
My room has all the amenities including the most important one, air con. The hotel also features free high speed internet and a nice courtyard with a swimming pool. And we have our very own hired guard, a "special forces-type" gentleman dressed in civvies who totes a very lethal looking double-barreled pump action shotgun.
My only problem, as I see it, is I'm still looking for the first class bus to Managua & beyond! But this town is small enough that I was able to invest a couple hours today on foot, trudging my way around for some 3 or 4 miles, still looking for the Tica bus--or at least the Tica bus office so I can book a seat for tomorrow or the next day.
I did manage to get a clue from a couple helpful citizens along the way, and I've been advised to show up at 8.00 a.m. sharp tomorrow morning at a certain location in town near the main road going south, etc. etc. So hopefully in about 14 hours I will know if I can get a seat on one of these elusive "avion de terra" buses!
Meanwhile, this is not at all a bad place to be. I'm not too far from the town of Perquin which was the headquarters of the anti-government FMLN during the civil war and which the Lonely Planet recommends as a destination in its own right. I may take a day or two there before I continue--depending upon what I learn in the morning.
From my perspective San Miguel has a lot going for it. For one, I'm staying in an excellent hotel just across the street from the bus station and the central district with the usual central plaza, cathedral & market is just a short walk away. True, the hotel is a bit above my budget, but at least they accept credit cards. Even better there's a Pollo Campero right across the street. Pollo Campero is Central America's answer to KFC and though this is my third trip in as many years to Central America, I still haven't tried Pollo Campero but I think I might do so tonight.
My room has all the amenities including the most important one, air con. The hotel also features free high speed internet and a nice courtyard with a swimming pool. And we have our very own hired guard, a "special forces-type" gentleman dressed in civvies who totes a very lethal looking double-barreled pump action shotgun.
My only problem, as I see it, is I'm still looking for the first class bus to Managua & beyond! But this town is small enough that I was able to invest a couple hours today on foot, trudging my way around for some 3 or 4 miles, still looking for the Tica bus--or at least the Tica bus office so I can book a seat for tomorrow or the next day.
I did manage to get a clue from a couple helpful citizens along the way, and I've been advised to show up at 8.00 a.m. sharp tomorrow morning at a certain location in town near the main road going south, etc. etc. So hopefully in about 14 hours I will know if I can get a seat on one of these elusive "avion de terra" buses!
Meanwhile, this is not at all a bad place to be. I'm not too far from the town of Perquin which was the headquarters of the anti-government FMLN during the civil war and which the Lonely Planet recommends as a destination in its own right. I may take a day or two there before I continue--depending upon what I learn in the morning.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Savior Saint is a Gritty Capital City
I've been to a few traffic-choked, chaotic and suffocatingly hot, polluted big cities in my time (Bangkok immediately comes to mind), but San Salvador comes close to taking the cake for its ability to exhaust the visitor after only an hour or so out & about the grimy central district. Like Mexico City the altitude here is already high while the city itself is surrounded by higher mountains. This tends to keep stagnant the noxious smoke & fumes from hundreds of belching buses that ply these city streets on a constant basis.
If the pollution wasn't so bad, the heat & humidity would knock anyone out by itself, but taken all together it makes for a health hazardous triple whammy. Every time I make an errand run I catch myself heading back to my aircon cool, cozy room after 60-90 minutes tops. But I've seen the usual sights: the one or two big cathedrals, the plazas, the parks, the markets, and the big colonial government buildings. This city makes you feel that if you've seen one Central American capital then you've seen them all.
So it's onward and outward again tomorrow, probably to the eastern El Salvador hub of San Miguel where I can catch a Tica bus to Managua. I went looking for the Tica terminal today but lost hope & gave up after an hour. I know I was close and maybe getting closer, but the locals I asked for directions from kept sending me in circles!
What more can I write about El Salvador and its capital? This country is the smallest in Central America--about the size of Massachusetts--and it has one of the smallest populations at around 7 million. It's the only country in the world named after Jesus Christ (The Savior), with its capital also named for "Saint" Savior. Salvadoreans suffered a brutal civil war in the 1980s, but now the country has been more or less at peace, at least politically, for almost two decades. Despite the fact that El Salvador has a somewhat dodgy reputation for crime & violence, I've noticed that the friendly people really seem to work hard to counteract that, welcoming the foreign visitor with goodwill & helpful advice.
It's definitely it a bit off the tourist's beaten path. You don't see very many Westerners here, American or European. But I feel it's worth a visit (it's my second in two years) to see how a remarkably tough, resiliant, vibrant people can climb their way back from such past horror & adversity--and with a generally cheerful & optimistic outlook for the future.
If the pollution wasn't so bad, the heat & humidity would knock anyone out by itself, but taken all together it makes for a health hazardous triple whammy. Every time I make an errand run I catch myself heading back to my aircon cool, cozy room after 60-90 minutes tops. But I've seen the usual sights: the one or two big cathedrals, the plazas, the parks, the markets, and the big colonial government buildings. This city makes you feel that if you've seen one Central American capital then you've seen them all.
So it's onward and outward again tomorrow, probably to the eastern El Salvador hub of San Miguel where I can catch a Tica bus to Managua. I went looking for the Tica terminal today but lost hope & gave up after an hour. I know I was close and maybe getting closer, but the locals I asked for directions from kept sending me in circles!
What more can I write about El Salvador and its capital? This country is the smallest in Central America--about the size of Massachusetts--and it has one of the smallest populations at around 7 million. It's the only country in the world named after Jesus Christ (The Savior), with its capital also named for "Saint" Savior. Salvadoreans suffered a brutal civil war in the 1980s, but now the country has been more or less at peace, at least politically, for almost two decades. Despite the fact that El Salvador has a somewhat dodgy reputation for crime & violence, I've noticed that the friendly people really seem to work hard to counteract that, welcoming the foreign visitor with goodwill & helpful advice.
It's definitely it a bit off the tourist's beaten path. You don't see very many Westerners here, American or European. But I feel it's worth a visit (it's my second in two years) to see how a remarkably tough, resiliant, vibrant people can climb their way back from such past horror & adversity--and with a generally cheerful & optimistic outlook for the future.
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